Castle Dracula
| image = | aliases = | category = | galaxy = | region = Southeastern Europe | system = | sector = | suns = | moons = | planet = | country = Romania | state = | city = | locale = Transylvania | residents = Dracula; Frank Drake; Ilsa Strangway; Torgo Nia | poi = | 1st = }} Castle Dracula is the name attributed to any number of Eastern European fortresses located within the borders of Romania, Transylvania and Wallachia. As its name suggests, the castle is the residence of the infamous vampire known as Dracula. Different interpretations of the castle have been represented in horror fiction, but the original so-called Castle Dracula was actually Bran Castle, currently a national monument in Romania. In 1459, Wallachian voivode Vlad III, the inspiration behind Bram Stoker's character in his 1897 novel Dracula, laid siege to Bran Castle while it was under the control of Mircea the Elder. A more accurate real-world depiction of Castle Dracula would be Poenari Castle, located high atop a cliff above the Transfăgărăşan in Romania. It was originally constructed sometime around the 13th century. Vlad III took control of the crumbling structure in the 15th century, rebuilding it and fortifying it as a strategic stronghold. In horror fiction, Castle Dracula has appeared in nearly every type of media relating to Dracula and is almost always situated in Transylvania rather than Romania. Bram Stoker may have drawn inspiration for his character from Vlad the Impaler, but there is little evidence to suggest that his version of Castle Dracula was based on either Bran Castle or Poenari Castle. Marvel Comics Erected some time in the 15th century, Castle Dracula became the home fortress of Wallachian warlord, Vlad Tepes, better known throughout history as the vampire, Dracula. In 1459, Turkish forces under the command of the Sultan Turac invaded Transylvania and took control of the castle, forcing Dracula's gypsy servants to flee. Dracula himself became a prisoner of the Turks for a brief period of time. In the late 19th century, a soliciter from London named Jonathan Harker visited the castle to negotiate a real estate purchase for Dracula in Carfax Abbey. Dracula imprsioned Harker at the Castle and left him to be tortured by his vampire brides. Harker eventually escaped and returned to England. Along with the professor Abraham van Helsing and Lord Arthur Holmwood, Harker returned to the Castle for a final confrontation with Dracula. A stake was driven through the vampire's heart, and his remains were left in the castle's lower dungeons. Marvel Classics Comics #9 Several years later, John Falsworth discovered Dracula's remains and removed the stake from his chest, thereby reviving him. He knew of the legend of the vampire and sought to claim Dracula's power as his own. This plan failed however and Dracula repaid Falsworth's efforts by transforming him into the vampire, Baron Blood. Invaders, Volume 1 #9 In July of 1942, Nazi forces began rounding up gypsies from the surrounding Romanian territories and imprisoning them at the Ploesti concentration camp. To get revenge against the Nazis and free the remainder of his Gypsy servants, Dracula invited army Sgt. Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos into the castle for the evening. Dracula and Fury entered into a brief covenant where they agreed to fight together to rid the Nazi threat from Transylvania. Marvel Comics Presents #77-79 Following the war, the castle remained empty until it was handed down to Dracula's last "living" descendant, Frank Drake. Drake and his friend Clifton Graves inspected the property and Graves inadvertently resurrected the vampire lord from yet another of his many transient deaths. Tomb of Dracula, Volume 1 #1 Soon after, Frank Drake sold the castle to a woman named Ilsa Strangway, who believed that the crumbling edifice might hold some secret towards restoring her youth. Dracula returned to his estate and found Ilsa, who kept him at bay with a crucifix. She made a bargain with the vampire, offering forth an occult mirror in exchange for him turning into a vampire. Dracula agreed and Ilsa was made a vampire that very evening. Tomb of Dracula, Volume 1 #3 Dracula infrequently returned to his castle following his latest resurrection for he knew that too many of his enemies were aware of its location. However, after many years of battling against determined vampire hunters such as Quincy Harker, Frank Drake, Rachel Van Helsing and Blade, Dracula returned to Castle Dracula. For a period of time, he had lost his vampiric powers as well as his title of Lord of Vampires. An older vampire named Torgo Nia assumed his station and his lands. Dracula regained his powers and challenged Torgo to mortal combat. He ultimately defeated him and reclaimed his territory as well as the mantle of Lord of the Vampires. After reasserting his dominance, Dracula had one final battle against his aging nemesis Quincy Harker. Harker planted a timed explosive in his wheelchair as a backup should he fail to destroy the vampire. He mustered up enough strength to lift himself out of his chair and lunge at Dracula, successfully impaling him. He was readying himself to decapitate the vampire lord when the bomb detonated killing Van Helsing and destroying the castle. Though Dracula was killed as well, he eventually returned to life. ''Tomb of Dracula, Volume 1 #70'' Points of Interest * Dracula's Coffin: Although the Lord of Vampire has used many coffins over the years, one could always be found nestled in the lower dungeons of the castle. The inside of the coffin was lined with native Transylvanian soil - a restriction common to most vampires. * Pit of Death: Within the lower crypt of Castle Dracula is a deep, hollowed out pit known as the Pit of Death. After slaying his victims, Dracula often brought their remains down into the crypt and disposed of them inside the pit. Over the course of centuries, the bottom of the pit became a compressed sea of rats and bones. After resurrecting the vampire lord, Clifton Graves found himself flung into the pit, though he survived and managed to claw his way to freedom with the help of Frank Drake. Tomb of Dracula, Volume 1 #1 * Dining Hall: Most of the rooms in Castle Dracula were unused and fell into disrepair, but Dracula's servants always kept the dining area in proper order for the rare occasion when they would receive guests. It was here that Dracula negotiated the purchase of Carfax Abbey with London solicitor Jonathan Harker. The hall was also used to entertain American soldiers in 1942 when they helped Dracula liberate a Nazi concentration camp. Marvel Comics Presents #77-79 Notes & Trivia External Links * Castle Dracula at MDP * Bran Castle at Wikipedia * Poenari Castle at Wikipedia References ---- Category:Romania